


prophylactic moves

by TooNerdyToHandle



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Away Mission Gone Wrong, Canon-Typical Violence, Christopher Pike Lives, Gen, M/M, Mild Language, captain dad pike, pike as captain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 23:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15592881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooNerdyToHandle/pseuds/TooNerdyToHandle
Summary: AOS rewrite of the TNG two-parter The Gambit, in which Christopher Pike is still the captain of the Enterprise. Jim Kirk is his Chief of Tactical and is also hellbent on getting revenge for what appears to be Pike's death.





	prophylactic moves

Jim Kirk, to put it simply, is pissed. He’s pissed at Chris for even taking this mission in the first place. He’s pissed that he’s gone. He’s pissed that Phil is still sitting in his office with Len because not even Len could get him to move. He’s pissed at whatever higher power that may exist in the universe for taking someone else from him. He’s pissed at whoever thought they could take the life of Christopher Pike without consequence. The only thing he’s not pissed about is being given permission to go after whoever the hell did this.

“You’re really doing this?” Sulu asks. He’s perched on the arm of the couch.

“I have to,” Jim responds. “I’m not letting them get away with this.” Sulu sighs.

“I know.”

“I’ll be alright, Hikaru.”

“You’re picking up where he left off, more or less. There’s nothing saying you won’t meet the same fate he did.”

“Yeah,” Jim says quietly. He’s already been through entertaining the possibility that he could be leaving Len and Phil in the same boat.

“Are you scared?” Leave it to Hikaru Sulu to see right through him. Jim pauses, still in the process of shrugging on his jacket. He nods, unable to do much more. He’s very much aware of how this mission could end. “Me too,” Sulu admits. He leaves his perch of the arm of couch and appears in front of Jim. “Just… try not to do anything too stupid, yeah?” He has a small smile on his face that screams _I’m trying not to be worried, but I’m insanely worried_. Jim just hugs him. He knows he can’t make any promises. “Does Len know?” Hikaru asks as he hugs back.

“Yeah. He’s not too happy about it.”

“How did I know you were going to say that?” They release the hug.

“I know, I know. I, uh, I gotta talk to Phil before I leave.” Sulu nods sadly.

“Want me to go with you? I’m off shift.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Go get some dinner.” Sulu nods again.

“Okay. Just…. be safe, Jim, please.”

“I'll do my best,” is the best Jim can do.

 

* * *

 

The CMO’s office is exactly as Jim left it. Len sitting upright on one end of the small couch, Phil curled next to him, the top of his head against the side of Len’s thigh. He’s staring straight ahead, though there’s nothing there but a blank wall. Len looks to Jim and just sighs. Jim knows neither of them is leaving that spot anytime soon.

Jim gets on his knees in front of Phil, leaning back on his feet. Phil’s eyes slowly look up to meet Jim’s. Neither of them say anything for a few moments.

“Whoever did this, I'm going after them. I'm gonna find them. Make sure they face consequences for this,” Jim assures Phil. “I'm leaving in a few minutes. I don't know when I'll be back. But I'll make sure someone answers for this.” Phil nods, the best he can with his head against Len’s leg. He reaches out and grabs one of Jim’s hand.

“You make them pay for this. But you come home,” Phil says. Jim nods.

“I know.” Phil nods again. Jim squeezes his hand before releasing it and standing. He's having a hard time looking at Len. “I have to do this, Bones. Someone has to answer for this.”

“I know. But this isn't going to bring him back,” Len responds. “It's not going to fix everything, Jim.”

“I know that, Bones, I just… They didn't even leave a fucking body and right now they're out there getting away with it.” Len sighs and rubs his face with one hand before standing. He makes Jim turn toward him, holding his shoulders.

“You come home,” he tells Jim in a hushed but firm voice. “You come home, even if it means leaving this revenge mission of yours. You understand?” Jim finally looks him in the eye and nods.

“Yeah,” Jim agrees quietly. “I’ll do my best, Bones.”

“You better,” Len tells him before pulling him into a tight embrace.

 

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later, Jim is back in the bar where just days before, Christopher Pike had been killed. He can’t help but to stare at the corner where according to a few different people, Chris had been vaporized.

“Alone this time, aye?” The bartender asks him. Jim turns back toward the door to see the bartender watching him.

“Yeah. Just me this time.” Jim confirms. When they had come the first time, Len, Nyota, and Spock had been with him.

“Can’t see what you’ve come back for. The man you were looking for is dead, right? Problem solved. You’re free to move on.”

“I could,” Jim agrees. “But I don’t really appreciate losing my chance at a good profit.” It had been too risky to expose that any of them were Starfleet, Chris included. Instead, the four of them that had beamed down to look for Chris had said that they were merchants of some kind and Chris owed them a large sum of money. “Especially since as far as I can tell, the only thing they had against him was a bar fight.”

“What, and you think they’re just going to reimburse you for your loss?”

“Well,” Jim starts, putting on a smirk and giving a small shrug of his shoulders. “I didn’t say they’d do it _willingly_.” The alien bartender gives a loud laugh. Jim forces a grin.

“Good luck with that,” the bartender says, waving a dismissive hand and starting to walk away.

“I think you could help me,” Jim calls after him. The bartender turns back toward him.

“That so?”

“Well I’ve gotta find these bastards first don’t I? And I think you know where they were headed.”

“If I did, what’s in it for me?” The bartender walks back to Jim, leaning against the other side of the bar. “You know, the kind of people that roll through here, they expect a certain…. anonymity.”

“Doesn’t mean they always get it though.” Jim smirks again, sticking a hand into the pocket on the inside of jacket and pulling out what he’s hoping will be enough to get the bartender to cooperate. He’s already forgotten the name of the currency on this world, but he knows he just pulled a lot of it from his jacket. He lays it on the bar top between himself and the bartender. “Especially if someone pays the right price, right? You tell me who those people were and where they were headed, and all of this is yours.”

The bartender smiles and reaches for the money. Jim quickly puts his hand over it.

“Ah! Information first, money after,” Jim says. He’s not completely sure what species the bartender is, but he can tell enough to know that the sheepish smile he receives is a fake one.

“Alright, fine. I don’t know their names. Not even sure of a couple of their species, honestly. I know one’s Romulan. They seem to be merchants of some sort, like yourself. They’ve been around on an off for the past few months or so. Always talking about ruins and artifacts and things.”

“There’s a few archeological sites around here, right?” Jim interrupts. The bartender nods.

“They were talking about one just a little ways from here when they got into it with your man. He accused them of ransacking the place. Which they probably did, but they sure didn’t like him saying it. They scrambled pretty quickly once they’d killed him. I’m not sure where they were headed, but they did mention Calder II a couple of times.”

“Calder II? Aren’t there sites there too?”

“Hell if I know. I told you all you need.” Jim sighs and nods, removing his hand from over the money.

“Yeah. Thanks.” The bartender gives him another (fake) smile, putting his own hand over the money and sliding off the bar top into his other hand.

“Best of luck,” the bartender tells him before walking away. Jim is nearly positive it’s sarcastic. But he really doesn’t care as long as the information is correct.

 

* * *

 

“Kirk to _Enterprise_ ,” Jim says into his communicator when he arrives at the site nearby that the bartender had told him about. Which just as Chris said, at least according to the bartender, the place had been ransacked.

“ _Enterprise here_ ,” Uhura’s voice comes back through the communicator.

“I’m at the archaeological site Captain Pike was apparently at. The place has been ransacked, but I think whoever did it might have used a transporter. My tricorder’s reading some kind of high energy beam, I don’t know what else it would be.”

Sulu’s voice takes the place of Uhura’s one the comm line after a pause. “ _We’re not reading anything unusual up here. Nothing that seems to be a base of operations, no ships in orbit but ours_.”

“I dunno, maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so. Are there any sites on Calder II that have any kind of relation to this one?”

“ _Calder II_?”

“The bartender says the group that-” Static comes through the comm line. Jim frowns. “Sulu?” The static continues. “Kirk to _Enterprise_ , come in _Enterprise_.”

The first shot from a phaser hits a rock to his left.

 

* * *

 

Jim’s asking himself a lot of questions as he’s being dragged along in a ship he fails to recognize the origin of. A Romulan woman has him by the arm, but this ship definitely isn’t Romulan.

_The bartender said there was a Romulan in the group that killed Chris. Is this them? Does Enterprise know I’m here? Are they pursuing? Can I get out of this?_

He could probably wrestle away from the Romulan holding him, her grip isn’t exactly a tight one, but he’s in no shape to put up a fight at the moment. He’s fairly sure they drugged him with something; he’s barely staying upright. Besides, he doesn’t know how many people are on this ship or where they are.

“What’s the problem?” a deep voice asks on the other side of the bridge as the Romulan woman pushes Jim onto it. The speaker has their back to Jim.

“I warned you not to push the engines so hard! Two of the power shunts are on the verge of collapse, we’ll be lucky if we can maintain warp four,” the man opposite the original speaker says. Jim and the Romulan woman stop next to the pair. Jim doesn’t recognize either of their species immediately.

“How long will it take to repair?”

“I can try to realign the warp core, but that’ll take eleven hours at least and I’ll have to shut down the engines completely.”

“We’re not stopping. We can’t afford to be sitting helpless in space. I want warp five in five hours, and I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

The one that Jim thinks must be the chief engineer on the ship storms off at that, bumping shoulders with the Romulan woman on their way across the bridge. The remaining member of the pair turns toward Jim.

“What were you doing on Barradas III?” the alien asks him. _Probably the captain,_ Jim pieces together.

“Could ask you the same thing,” Jim says, standing up straighter and rolling his shoulders back.

“Oh really? We know you’re Starfleet, boy. What were you doing there?” the captain asks again, getting in Jim’s face as he finishes the question.

 _Shit_ . They probably recognized the communicator and the tricorder. _There goes that_. Jim has no better ideas than to follow Starfleet protocol for situations like this.

“James T. Kirk, Lieutenant Commander, SC 937-0176.”

“Oh, really? Well, I am Arctus Baran, and I don’t have a number. What were you doing on Barradas III, Lieutenant Commander?”

“Studying the ruins. It was a scientific expedition,” Jim answers quickly. It probably won’t be enough, but it’s better than nothing.

“Don’t patronize me. A little odd to show up for an expedition alone and out of uniform, right? Besides, those ruins have been studied dozens of times for a century now. There’s nothing new to learn.”

“Then what were _you_ doing there?” Baran looks at Jim for a second, narrowing his eyes. Then, he lowers an hand to his belt, and presses a button on what seems to be some kind of remote.

Red hot pain floods Jim’s body, originating from somewhere on his neck. He gasps in pain, falling to his knees. He tries to find the source of the pain, clawing at his neck. There’s a piece of metal seemingly attached to his neck, just under his ear. He tries to dig his fingernails under it and pull it off.

“Oh, there’s no use in that. It’s a servo connected right into your nervous system. You can’t remove it,” Baran explains as the pain starts to subside. Jim rests on the floor on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. “It lets me control precisely how much pain you feel. This setting is usually sufficient, though it can go much higher.”

Baran presses the button again. The pain returns, worse than the last time. Jim falls to his back with a yell of pain, squeezing his eyes shut.

“These devices were the idea of my predecessor. It’s a convenient way of enforcing discipline.”

“What happened to him?” Jim pants out when the pain stops again.

“He failed to enforce it with me,” Baran answers with a small, smug smirk.

“This is a waste of time, Baran,” a woman across the bridge says, standing from her station as Jim sits up from lying on his back.”Get rid of him! _Now_!”

“You should be more patient, Vekor,” Baran answers. “It might be rewarding. We will wait.” Baran turns back to the Romulan woman, who had moved off to the side. “Let the memory of his pain argue with him for a while. It might change his attitude.” The Romulan lifts Jim from the floor and helps him to a chair at a station. Jim’s honestly a little glad to take a seat.

“Vekor’s right. We should get rid of him. It’s dangerous having someone from Starfleet on board,” the voice of the engineer comes again.

“Dangerous?” Baran asks. It could be profitable. A Starfleet officer is a valuable hostage.”

“Starfleet won’t negotiate with us! They’ll just pursue as long as we have him!” Vekor argues. Baran must press whatever button activates her servo because she groans in pain.

“This discussion is over,” Baran says. “Get back to your post, Vekor.”

“They’re right, Baran,” a voice Jim knows well answers. Jim’s heart skips a beat. “And you know it.” An occupied chair that had been previously unnoticed by Jim turns.

Christopher Pike is sitting in it.

“I say kill him,” Chris continues, not even sparing a glance at Jim while he says it. He stands, and turns to look at Jim. His expression is hard, but there’s just enough fear in his eyes for Jim to recognize. “Now.” Jim stares at him in disbelief, for the moment not even caring what the aliens around them think. _Chris is dead_ the part of his brain still suspended in disbelief insists. But yet, here Chris is, standing maybe twelve feet away from him. “He has nothing to offer us, we should just get rid of him now and be done with it. Kill him, or at least leave him somewhere. He’s more trouble than he’s worth. Everyone seems to realize that except you.”

“I don’t need a consensus to run this ship, Galen,” Baran says.

 _Chris is still undercover_ , Jim’s brain fills in. _Did he end up here on purpose? Why didn’t he leave some kind of sign he was alive?_

The lights on the bridge begin to flicker and dim as the sound of the engines shutting down becomes obvious.

“What’s going on?” Baran demands.

“I’m bypassing the aft plasma couplings,” the engineer explains. “The power drain should only last a few seconds.” Sure enough, the engines resurge and the lighting returns to normal.

“You should learn not to limit your options,” Baran continues, turning his attention back toward Chris. “Kirk could become useful to us in the future.”

“He may not be as useful as you think,” Chris argues, his back to Jim. “If this is the same Kirk I’ve heard about,” he glances and gestures to Jim.

“What Kirk is that?” Jim asks. He has no idea what in the hell Chris is doing right now, but he trusts him, so he’ll play along with whatever Chris comes up with. Chris turns completely towards him before continuing.

“Chief of security and tactical, USS _Enterprise_.”

“Yes,” Jim agrees.

“Then you have to be the James T. Kirk with quite a history of insubordination,” Chris says, before turning back to Baran. “He was even relieved of duty once, over an incident on Nibiru.” That’s not a complete lie. Jim was temporarily relieved of duty over that mess, but Chris of course got him out of it.

“How do you know all of this?” Baran asks, obviously suspicious.

“I’ve been smuggling artifacts off of Federation worlds for decades. You can’t help but learn the names and stories of certain Starfleet personnel.” Chris turns back to Jim again. “If we hadn’t captured him, he probably would’ve ended up before a court-martial.”

“I’ve gotten out of them before,” Jim says, watching Chris, still a little unsure but still playing along. Chris turns back to Baran once more.

“Look, he’s no use to us. Get rid of him now, or let me do it for you,” Chris says, turning back around to Jim and taking a step toward him. Jim’s in the process of trying to stand when the ship lurches suddenly, throwing him back into his chair. An alarm blares as the ship enters some kind of unstable warp.

“Watch him!” the Romulan woman says to another woman near her, who nods and rushes to Jim as the remainder of the crew rushes to various stations.

“We’re accelerating!” Vekor calls from her station.

“What have you done?!” Baran demands from the engineer.

“It has nothing to do with my repairs,” the engineer insists. “I think there’s a malfunction in the engine’s intermix chamber.”

“Plasma pressure is rising,” the Romulan informs the rest of the bridge.

“Where’s the malfunction?” Baran asks.

“It could be one of any thirty subsystems, it’ll take time to locate,” the engineer explains, fingers dancing over the display on his station.

“I don’t think you’re going to have the chance!” the Romulan calls. “Plasma pressure has reached critical levels.”

“Seal off the intermix chamber!” Baran demands.

“I can’t!” Vekor calls back. “The override sequence won’t engage.”  

“The antimatter-flow regulator is locked open,” comes Chris’s voice.

“Logic subsystem still not responding!” Baran goes to Chris, shoving him away from his station.

“Get out of the way,” Baran tells him.

“Plasma pressure has exceeded maximum levels!” the Romulan says. “Eight percent above critical and rising.”

“We need to jettison the core,” the engineer says.

“No! We’ll be stranded here!” Jim doesn’t miss the desperation in Baran’s voice and face when he says that.

“The flow regulator is frozen,” Chris says. He gives Jim the smallest glance out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, Jim realizes what he should be doing.

“Let me do it,” Jim says, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. Baran turns and looks at him, the desperation still there. “I’ve had a lot of experience with these kinds of system failures, I might be able to do something.”

“Plasma pressure is 11% above critical,” the Romulan updates them. “The containment fields are beginning to degrade.”

“Go!” Baran tells Jim. Jim nods and stands, going to a station.

“Flow regulator isn’t responding to manual override!” the engineer calls. “Containment fields won’t hold much longer.”

Jim examines the display in front of him, thinking _That’s fine, because I know exactly what to do_.

“Looks like you have a control logic lockout on your regulator’s subsystem,” Jim explains to Baran who’s watching over his shoulder as he does what he needs to. The ship lurches again, making Jim stumble on his feet. “I’m gonna attempt to run an active bypass through the plasma-flow converter. You!” Jim calls, looking over his shoulder to the engineer across the bridge. “Start running phase-locked feedback through that regulator. I want about a six second delay.”

“What are you saying?” the engineer asks. “I don’t take orders from you,” he says as Jim ducks under the main part of the console to further his plan.

“You do as he says,” Baran tells the engineer.

“Plasma pressure is 14% above critical!” The Romulan again.

“If you fail…” Baran starts.

“We’ll all be dead anyway,” Jim cuts him off. “Give me a few more seconds.”Jim finishes pressing the series of buttons before giving a satisfied smile.

“Plasma pressure is dropping,” the ship lurches after the Romulan finishes her sentence. “We’re back into safe levels.” Jim gives a satisfied smirk, standing upright.

“You want to make sure that doesn’t happen again, you’d better reinitiate your regulator subcompressors, And run a full diagnostic of your intermix chamber wouldn’t hurt either,” Jim tells Baran. Baran nods, looking to the engineer.

“Do it.” The engineer nods, moving across the bridge to another station. “Put him in quarters for now,” Baran says, gesturing to Jim. Jim takes the moment to close the few steps gap between he and Chris.

“Still wish you’d killed me?” he asks. He walks away before Chris can answer, but he doesn’t miss the apologetic look in his eye like the rest of the crew does.

 

* * *

 

 

“The search teams reported in, no sign of Jim,” Sulu tells Spock. “But they found several archaeological sites, and all of them have been looted.” They’ve taken several away teams back down to the surface of Barradas III, trying to figure out what had happened to Jim and why.

“The micro-crystalline damage I found in these indentations is from some type of high-energy transport beam,” Scotty says, standing at Sulu’s right. “But I still don’t understand. There’s nothing particularly valuable here. Why would someone want to take things from these sites?”

“These artifacts could hold a special value to the Romulans,” Spock tells them.

“The Romulans?” Sulu asks, raising an eyebrow.

“These structures were built by the Debrune. The race is an ancient offshoot of the Romulans. The ruins of Calder II that Kirk mentioned also hold artifacts that are Romulan in origin.”

“The group the bartender mentioned had a Romulan with them, right?” Sulu asks. “Could be working with the mercenaries to steal all these artifacts.”

“But that still does not answer the question of _why_ they’re stealing the artifacts.”

 

* * *

 

“How far is Calder II?” Spock asks, when they’re back on the bridge later.

“Less than a day if we maintain maximum warp,” Sulu tells him, turning to look at him.

“These mercenaries have apparently attacked a number of other sites in this system, it is highly likely Calder II is their next target.”

“Isn’t there a Federation outpost on Calder II?”

“Only a small science station. It has limited defensive capabilities. I do not believe it can withstand an attack from the mercenary ship.” Spock turns away then, towards Uhura. “Lieutenant Uhura, please send a message to the Federation outpost on Calder II. Advise them about the mercenary ship, and tell them that should it arrive, to try to delay it until our own arrival.” Uhura nods and spins back toward her station. Spock begins his walk back to the captain’s chair. “Ensign Chekov, take us out of orbit. Set a course for the Calder System, maximum warp.”

 

* * *

 

Jim’s sitting at the table in the quarters he’s been left in, trying to process everything. None of it is making complete sense. Jim would love to ask Chris what in the _hell_ is going on, but he’s not sure that’s such a good idea either. Chris had campaigned for Baran to kill Jim with the rest of the crew, hadn’t he? Even if the way he looked at Jim had said otherwise, he had still said it, hadn’t he?

Jim’s picking at the servo on his neck, more out of having something to do with his hands and not actually trying to remove it, when the door to his quarters slides open. Chris is standing on the other side. He rushes in toward Jim, not even waiting for the doors to close before he starts talking.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Chris starts. He walks past Jim, to the other end of the room. Jim stands, watching him in disbelief. Chris quickly checks the bathroom attached to the quarters before reappearing and looking at Jim. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you, son. I wasn’t exactly expecting it to be here, though.”

“I-I was looking for the people that killed you on the surface,” Jim says, mind still reeling. “Three different witnesses said they saw you get vaporized.” Chris shakes his head.

“These people use some kind of weapon that activate their transporter. They can just shoot something and beam it back to the ship. That’s what they did to me. I’m assuming they probably did the same to you.”

“Chris… I-I don’t understand. Who are these people? Why are you involved with them?” Chris puts a hand on his shoulder when Jim raises his voice over the last question.

“Look, Jim. Starfleet sent a team to study a site, and it had been raided. Practically destroyed, really. They wanted someone to look into it. We were the closest, so they asked me to investigate,” Chris explains. Jim opens his mouth to ask why Chris, but Chris cuts him off. “I dunno, Jim. They just did, and I accepted. They wanted to know who was responsible. I tracked them to that bar on Barradas III. I must’ve asked too many questions. They captured me.”

“So you didn’t mean to end up here?” Jim asks.

“Of course not,” Chris says, furrowing his eyebrows. “Why would I?”

“I just- We thought you were dead,” Jim explains, looking to the floor. “And I was just wondering that why, if you meant to end up here, why you didn’t leave us some kind of sign you were alive.” Chris sighs, grabbing Jim’s shirt sleeve and using it to pull him into a hug.

“I’m sorry, son,” he says as Jim hugs him back. Jim barely holds back the burning in his eyes. “How’s Phil?” Chris asks quietly.

“How do you think?” Jim responds, not venomously, as he pulls away. Chris nods sadly. Jim doesn’t miss the guilt that crosses his face. Chris quickly shrugs it away though, launching back into his explanation.

“Anyway,” he starts again. “They wanted to find out how much I knew about their operation. I convinced them I was a smuggler named Galen. I offered to help them appraise the artifacts they had stolen. Jim, these aren’t common thieves. They’re stealing Romulan artifacts from throughout the whole sector. Baran has me analyzing each one of them for a particular particle signature. They’re looking for something specific.”

“Why?”

“That’s what we have to figure out. Baran is the key. I need you to trust me, Jim.”

“Of course I trust you,” Jim says, a little confused by the request. Chris nods.

“I think Baran knows more about what’s going on than anyone else on the ship. I want you to get close to him. Try and get his confidence.” Jim nods, understanding a little more.

“That’s why you set up the engine failure- you knew I could fix it and that he would trust me when I did.” Chris nods.

“He also believes you’re a less-than-perfect Starfleet officer. Play into that role, son. Baran already doesn’t care for me, he’s only keeping me around to examine those artifacts. If you and I pretend to be enemies, there’s a better chance of you and Baran becoming friends.”

“That’s why you told him to kill me,” Jim surmises. “Try drive a wedge between us from the start.” Chris nods again.

“I knew he wouldn’t, or I never would’ve joined in with the others.” Jim nods.

“Okay. I’m in. I’ll do what I can.”

The door slides open again. Chris gives a quick glance toward it and then, without warning, backhands Jim across his face.

Jim falls straight to the floor. It wasn’t a particularly hard hit, Jim knows Chris can do much better, but it shocks him that it even occured. When Jim turns his head to try and see who’s at the door, Baran is standing over him. Baran looks to Jim, and then to Chris.

“What are you doing here?” Baran demands of Chris.

“Getting some answers,” Chris explains, turning the hardened persona back on. “Because apparently you can’t get him to talk.” Chris just finishes the sentence before he cries out in pain, hand flying to the servo on his neck and falling to his knees.

“No one conducts an interrogation on this ship without my permission,” Baran tells Chris. “Is that understood?”

Chris stands back up without a response, staring Baran down as he walks toward the door. When he reaches Jim, still on the floor, he gives him a kick to the side. It doesn’t hurt much, not really, but Jim lets out a grunt anyway. Chris still doesn’t look away from Baran, at least not until he exits the room.

Jim looks to Baran, a little unsure of what’s going to happen. But Baran simply watches him a moment before following Chris out of the room without so much as a sound.

 

* * *

 

“Our next objective should prove an interesting challenge,” Baran starts, pacing about the bridge. “We’re headed for the Sakethan burial mounds on Calder II.”

“What?” Chris asks, trying to sound annoyed. “Calder II isn’t just another archaeological site. There’s a Federation outpost in orbit.”

Baran gives a nonchalant shrug. “I don’t see that as a problem.”

“It’s defended by Starfleet,” Chris counters. “You don’t think they’re just going to stand aside and let you take what you want, do you?”

“I’m familiar with the tactical situation.”

“What are their defenses?” Vekor asks, turning around in her chair.

“Nothing to worry about. They have a type-4 deflector shield protecting the outpost and the ruins.”

“They also have a minimum of two phaser banks and maybe even photon torpedoes,” Chris intervenes again. “Is that enough to worry about?”

“How do you know so much about this outpost?” the Romulan woman asks.

“Because I tried to smuggle an artifact off a couple of years ago. Barely got away in one piece.”

“Our weapons are much more than a match for their defenses,” Baran assures. “I anticipate that we’ll be able to destroy the outpost within fifteen minutes. Then we’ll send in Tallera and the landing party to secure the relics.”

“Why don’t we use Kirk?” Chris asks, trying to find any way to save the people on the outpost, however few they may be. “A Starfleet officer with fairly high security clearance. Might be able to talk us past the outpost security without raising their suspicions. Then, when their shields go down we could beam up the artifacts without ever even leaving the ship.”

“Why would Kirk help us?” Vekor asks. She almost sounds disgusted. “Just because he’s out of favor with Starfleet doesn’t mean that he’s ready to betray them.”

“Because if he doesn’t, we’ll have to destroy the outpost and kill everyone on it. He’s still a Starfleet officer. He won’t want to take innocent lives if he can possibly prevent it,” Chris explains.

“The last time we engaged Starfleet, we lost a man,” the Romulan- Tallera- says, approaching Baran. “We can’t afford any more casualties. If we can avoid a battle, I think we should.” _Wait. Is she taking my side? That’s a new one._

“Alright, we’ll try it,” Baran agrees, albeit a little grudgingly. “We’ll be at Calder II within the next five hours. You all know your duties. I want this ship prepared for battle!” Baran looks to Chris. “Just in case your plan doesn’t work.”

 

* * *

 

Chris is starting scans on a new batch of relics down in one of the cargo bays when the door slides open and Tallera enters.

“Baran wants to see the analysis of the last lot,” she tells Chris. “He thinks you’re moving too slowly.” Chris rolls his eyes, looking back to the sample currently being processed by the scanner.

“You can tell Baran if he wants it done faster, he can do it himself. If he wants it done correctly, he can wait.” Basically, the slightly more polite way of telling Tallera that she can tell Baran to suck it up.

Tallera approaches the scanner and promptly pauses the ongoing scan. Chris looks up to her with a self-explanatory _what the fuck_ expression.

“Do you enjoy living dangerously, Galen?” Tallera asks. “Baran can kill you in an instant if he activates his control device.” Chris scoffs.

“I seriously doubt he’ll do that. I’ve increased the accuracy of this damn scanner by a factor of ten. I’m the best person to analyze these artifacts. Baran knows that.” Chris turns back to the scanner, starting up the current scan again.

“Baran may need you now, but I know Baran. And I can tell you he’s not going to back down forever. You accomplish nothing by provoking him.”

“I don’t like operating in the dark. If I knew what the point of this mission were, why I was analyzing these relics…”

“If Baran felt it were wise to let the crew know that I’m sure he would have.” Chris gives another elegant eye roll before leaning back in his seat and looking Tallera up and down.

“Do _you_ know what this is about?” he tries. It’s a long shot, but what other option is there?

“What Baran knows, I know.”

“Then what’s going on here? Why are we risking our lives taking these artifacts? Who wants them?”

“I see no reason in telling you anything. But you can rest assured I don’t share everything _I_ know with Baran. This conversation, for example, will stay between us.” Chris laughs.

“You can tell Baran every word I’ve said. He knows what I think of him as a leader already.”

“Baran has been in charge of this crew for a long time.”

“Baran wouldn’t last five minutes as captain if he didn’t have control over the servos! The crew follows him because they have no other choice. Baran’s power is based on fear and intimidation.”

“That almost sounds like a prelude to mutiny,” Tallera says. Chris can feel her looking him over. His heart rate picks up just a little. He keeps going anyway.

“If someone were to challenge him, the rest of the crew would follow.”

“I was right. You _do_ like living dangerously,” she walks around to the other side of Chris, peering down at him. “I like you, Galen. I can tolerate a lot from someone like you but only to a point. I intend to complete this mission successfully and get what’s been promised to me. If it looks like you’re getting in the way of that, I’ll deal with you myself.”

She turns on her heels and walks out before Chris has the chance to respond.

He can’t seem to make up his mind about whose side Tallera is on.

 

* * *

 

“Lieutenant Commander, I’m sorry, but no one is allowed on the surface without prior authorization from the Federation Science Council.” Jim’s trying to reason with the lead officer of the outpost in orbit above Calder II, but it’s going less than well.

“I’m aware of that, _Lieutenant_ , but your outpost is in imminent danger of attack. I would like to station security personnel on the surface for your protection,” Jim tries again. He’s starting to run out of ideas. This guy is stubborn, as he should be, but it’s really not helping the current situation. “Now, I’m ordering you to drop your shields.”

The man on the other side of the video comm shakes his head. “I’m sorry, sir, but the regulations are very specific. I can’t do it. If you’d like, you can stay in orbit until we contact the Science Council, but we’re having a little bit of difficulty with communications right now, so that-” the Lieutenant is cut off when Baran ends the comm.

“This isn’t working,” Baran says. “They’re delaying on purpose. Someone warned them. Charge main disruptor array, destroy the outpost!” Chris leaps from his seat before Jim even has the chance to more or say anything. He shoves Vekor away from her station.

“There’s no time for that!” Chris insists, using the station to do something. “Starfleet will be here any minute!”

“What are you doing?!” Baran demands, speeding to the station Chris has taken over.

“I’m configuring the disruptors to fire a phase-resonant pulse,” Chris explains, still working. “If I can hit their shield generator with the right frequency I should be able to take it out with one shot. Firing!” There’s a beat of silence while they wait. “Their shields are down!” Chris calls.

“Beam the artifacts up! They should be located in several small structures arranged in staggered formations,” Baran tells Tallera.

“I’m scanning,” she responds. Another pause. “I think I found them!”

“Lock coordinates and start beaming them up!”

Three artifacts appear on the transporter on the bridge.

“There should be two more,” Baran says. Tallera shakes her head, turning to look at Baran.

“I’ve lost transporter lock.”

“They managed to get their shields back up,” Chris says. There’s just a hint of defeat in his voice.

“I need those artifacts,” Baran insists. “Lock all disruptors on target! This time, I want that outpost destroyed!”

But, before that order could be followed, the ship rocks from the impact of being fired upon.

 

* * *

 

“Direct hit on their aft deflectors, sir,” Sulu calls over his shoulder to Spock. “But they’re undamaged.”

“Are there any human lifesigns aboard that ship? Any chance that Kirk is on board?” Spock asks without hesitation. Sulu shakes his head in response.

“I can’t tell, sir. I’m trying, but our sensors can’t seem to penetrate their hull.”

“Lieutenant Uhura, open a channel.” There’s a pause that lasts no more than two seconds.

“Channel open,” Uhura responds.

Spock stands from the captain’s chair. “This is the Federation starship _Enterprise_. We order you to stand down immediately. Drop your shields and prepare to be boarded.”

 

* * *

 

Upon hearing the message, Baran spins around and begins storming toward Jim. “You! You sent them a message! You told them where to find us!”

“That’s ridiculous! When would I have had the chance?” Jim responds, staying calm and not rising to the bait. Baran lowers a hand to his control device.

“This is set to kill. Order your ship to disengage!” Baran grabs Jim by the forearm, yanking him upright and to the front of the bridge to the viewscreen. “Activate visual!”

 

* * *

 

When Jim’s face appears on screen, the first thing Sulu feels is utter relief because his best friend is alive. That is, however, quickly followed by _what the fuck?_

“Lieutenant Commander Kirk, are you alright?” Spock asks, slowly approaching the view screen. Jim seems to glance over his shoulder, for a brief second.

“Mr. Spock, withdraw the _Enterprise_ . That’s an order,” Jim says. He looks serious about it, too. Hikaru glances to Chekov next to him, who simply returns the same _what the hell_ expression that’s currently on Hikaru’s face.

“That is impossible. You do not outrank me and therefore cannot order me to do anything. Furthermore, the ship you are on has violated a Federation outpost. It is my duty to stop it.”

“I’m not asking, Spock. Do it.”

“Mr. Kirk, if you could explain-”

“I’ve never explained myself to you and I’m not about to start now.”

The call ends abruptly, and the screen once more shows the space and ship in front of them.

 

* * *

 

"I’m not about to let him blow this ship into space,” Jim says, spinning away from the viewscreen and towards Baran. “If I can set up a low-level com link between the two ships I can use my personal command codes to drop their shields.”

“Do it,” Baran tells him.

Jim goes to the nearest station, doing exactly what he said he would, the whole time silently begging for this to work.

 

* * *

 

“Sir, we’re receiving some kind of signal from the mercenary ship,” Uhura says. Sulu turns his chair to look back at her. She looks almost confused. “They’re Kirk’s access codes. He’s trying to shut down the shields.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Sulu says, furrowing his eyebrows. “The codes were changed when he disappeared, he knows that.” Spock nods in agreement.

“You are correct, Mr. Sulu, he does know,” Spock stands there, obviously thinking through something for a moment. “Prepare to drop shields,” he says finally.

“Sir?” Sulu asks.

“That is an order, Mr. Sulu.” Sulu nods, slowly turning back to his station.

“Aye, sir.”

 

* * *

 

“It worked,” Jim announces, silently thanking whoever over there figured out what he was doing. “The shields are dropping.”

“Fire!” Baran orders.

 

 

* * *

 

“Direct hit to the port nacelles, no real damage,” Sulu says. The ship rocks again. “Starboard nacelle. Still no real damage.”

“Jim did something to their weapons,” Uhura says.

“I believe you’re correct, Lieutenant,” Spock agrees. “So now we must… Play along. Release inertial dampers and cut power to decks fifteen through nineteen.”

“Aye, sir,” another member of the current bridge crew calls.

“Set phasers to 25%,” Spock continues. “Return fire.”

 

* * *

 

“Keep firing!” Baran orders, as the alarm keeps sounding around them.

Chris, standing at one of the back consoles, shakes his head. “I’ve lost three plasma relays on the disruptors. Auxiliary power is…” he pauses for a second. “It’s not available.”

Baran almost looks annoyed. “Transfer weapons control to my station. There’s a way to bypass the relays and feed power-”

He’s cut off when another hit to the ship rocks it violently.

“The antimatter containment units are starting to buckle,” the engineer explains, hands flying over a console.

“The _Enterprise_ has been badly damaged, but they still have superior firepower,” Tallera tells Baran, the urgent tone in her voice obvious. “If we remain here, we will be destroyed. The logical course of action is to withdraw.”

The ship rocks again, and Baran seemingly gives in with it.

“We’ve done enough damage,” he says, nodding. “Narik!” he calls, turning to the engineer. “Set course, bearing 180, mark 215. Maximum warp. Initiate.”

Jim throws a look over his shoulder to Chris, who is looking right back. They exchange small relieved glances.

 

* * *

 

“They’re preparing to activate their warp drive, Commander,” Sulu announces as his station beeps.

“Ve can’t track them with our sensors eef they’re at warp, sir,” Chekov says. “Could ve disable them by-”

“I’m aware, Mr. Chekov,” Spock interrupts. “Let them go.”

The look Chekov gives Sulu is very much so one that reads _what the fuck?_

 

* * *

 

After the mercenary ship has left, the crew begins trying to figure out exactly what has just occurred. Uhura has been going over and over Jim’s video transmission for the last half an hour, with Sulu looking on.

“I’ve gone over every word, every inflection, every facial response, and I can’t find any kind of code or hidden message,” she explains as Spock approaches.

“I agree the existence of such a message is remote, but I do still believe it would be wise to check,” Spock says. Uhura sighs and nods.

“I’ll keep trying.”

“Two starships have been sent to intercept the mercenaries should they try to attack other nearby planets,” the ensign that has temporarily taken over communications announces. Sulu looks over his shoulder to Spock, who gives that curt nod of his and then speaks.

“Inform Starfleet Command that we will hold position until further notice.”

“Ve’re just going to stay here?” Chekov asks, turning from his station and tossing Sulu another look.

“Yes,” Spock agrees. “But, we will continue to explore all avenues of investigation.”

Sulu gives a small sigh and turns back to his station and- _huh_. That’s odd.

“We wouldn’t have to if we hadn’t let them escape,” someone else says.

“You are correct. However, I believe Lieutenant Kirk wanted us to allow them to escape.”

“What’s that?” Sulu asks, nudging Uhura and pointing to the station. She tilts her head curiously.

“I’m... Not sure. Hang on,” she tells him. She presses a few buttons, and then watches the screen, seemingly more confused. “Commander? I think we may have found something.”

Spock’s footsteps approach almost instantly.

“Some sort of other signal was piggybacked onto the same carrier wave as the command codes. It might just be the message we’ve been looking for,” Uhura explains.

“Possibly,” Spock agrees. He reaches between Sulu and Uhura, Sulu stands in order to give Spock his seat, which he takes. “I will attempt to resequence the signal.” Spock turns toward Uhura. “Begin running a decryption key,” he tells her. She nods and they get to work.

Sulu silently prays Jim had some sort of stroke of genius and somehow left them a clue.

 

* * *

 

“I’m taking the engines off-line,” Narik tells Baran, sounding defeated.

“How long will it take to repair the battle damage?” Baran asks.

“At least five hours to replace the anti-matter containment unit.”

“You have three. One minute beyond that, and you will answer for it with your life.” Baran stares down Narik a moment more before turning his attention to Jim and walking towards him. “I suppose I should thank you,” he begins. “None of us would be alive if it weren’t for you.”

Jim puts on his best smug smirk. “You’re welcome.”

“What’s wrong, Lieutenant Commander?” Jim turns to look over his shoulder to Chris, who’s leaning back in his chair and watching him. “Having second thoughts about betraying your comrades? Because that’s what you’ve done-” he stands, beginning to walk toward Jim and Baran. “Betrayed them. You betrayed them to save yourself.” He stops maybe a foot from Jim. “You used to just be a second-rate officer. Now, you’re a traitor and a coward. How does that feel?” He eggs Jim on.

Jim knows exactly what he’s doing.

That doesn’t mean he enjoys standing and promptly giving Chris a right hook across the face.

Chris grunts and falls backwards, playing along even though the hit wasn’t actually a hard one.

“I dunno, how did that feel?!” Jim demands, leaning down to get in Chris’s face.

“Enough!” Baran interferes. “Galen, get down to the cargo hold and check out those artifacts.”

Chris stands up, getting right between Jim and Baran and straightens his shirt. He and Jim trade looks of both apology and approval.

“Move!” Baran yells. Chris glances at Baran, gives Jim one last look, and then does as he’s told.

Tallera follows, which, to Jim at least, is.. Odd.

 

* * *

 

Chris has finished checking a single artifact when Tallera enters. Chris holds back a sigh and an eye roll, instead choosing to continue on with his work.

“You can tell Baran I’m working as fast as I can,” he tells her, not looking up from the scanner. When she comes and stands at his shoulder without a response, the eye roll escapes as Chris looks to her. “What?”

“I’m trying to decide if you’re incredibly stupid or incredibly smart,” she tells him.

 _Heard that one before_ , Chris thinks.

“Why didn’t you continue to fire on the _Enterprise_ when their shields dropped?” she asks him. Chris isn’t sure that he particularly likes how she’s looking at him, so he goes back to work again.

“You were there,” he says. “The disruptors lost power.” Then, to the computer: “Reset diagnostic for new sample and begin scan.” The scanner powers up once more. Apparently Tallera takes that as an invitation to speak again.

“I’ve watched you handle the weapons systems before,” she starts, pacing behind Chris. “You know exactly how to bypass a problem like that.”

She’s right. He does. His stomach does a funny little flip. Is she on to what’s going on?

“And why do you continue to argue with Kirk?” she continues. “It’s obvious that by alienating Kirk, you’re alienating Baran. And yet you do so, why?”

Chris doesn’t answer. The computer informs him the scan is complete and that the item was not a match for whatever the hell he’s looking for. He resets once more and begins a new scan.

“Look, this isn’t a Romulan labor camp,” Chris says, looking to Tallera. “I don’t have to answer your questions. And I don’t give a damn what you think.” He adds the second part as more an afterthought, even though it’s far from the truth. If she figures him out, he and Jim are both screwed.

“Scan complete,” the computer tells him. “Terikon profile positive-” Chris and Tallera’s heads both whip towards the scanner. “98% probability of match.”

Chris reaches forward and grabs the artifact, turning it over in his hands. “Well..” he begins slowly. “Whatever it is we’re looking for, it seems we’ve found it.”

“Tallera to Captain,” Tallera says into her communicator, not even directly responding to Chris.

“What is it?” Baran’s voice comes through the communicator.

“I’m in the cargo hold. Galen’s made a positive match on one of the artifacts.”

 

Jim’s watching Baran as this message comes through. They’re in Baran’s quarters, but Jim isn’t all that sure why he’s here yet.

“Good,” Baran says. “Bring it to me immediately, don’t let anyone near it,” he instructs.

“Understood. Tallera out.”

The comm line ends.

“Sounds like good news,” Jim ventures carefully.

“Very,” Baran agrees, beginning to pour a drink. He gives Jim a look, silently asking if he wants one. Jim shakes his head, so Baran comes around the table and begins walking toward him. “It means we’re halfway finished with what promises to be a very profitable mission.” Baran stops next to him. “And even better than that; it means I’m almost ready to get rid of your friend Galen.” Baran tells him with a smirk.

Jim’s heart skips a beat, but he manages to copy Baran’s smirk. “Really?” he asks.

“There’s one more artifact to find. Once Galen confirms that it’s genuine, his usefulness on this ship will come to a very sudden end.”

Jim somehow manages to keep his smirk, even as his heart rate accelerates. “I can’t say I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Galen might be a loudmouthed fool, but sometimes he’s quite perceptive,” Baran explains. Jim sits more upright, legitimately interested. “His observations about you, for example.”

“Oh?” Jim asks, almost a little scared of where this is going. The smirk drops.

“After what you did on Calder II, I doubt if you have much of a future in Starfleet.” Baran’s smirk is back. Jim relaxes, just a little, and forces a smile as he stands.

“Yeah, I have to say I’ve come to the same conclusion,” Jim agrees, approaching the table Baran had left the bottle of whatever he was drinking on. Baran chuckles.

“Well… Assuming you were not my prisoner, what would you do now?”

“I guess I’d have to start looking for a new career,” Jim says, hoping he’s rising to what seems to be bait Baran’s laying out. Baran smiles and nods. “There must be a place where someone with years of Starfleet technical knowledge would be useful.” He forces another smile, raising his brows and looking at Baran expectantly. “You wouldn’t happen to know a place like that, would you?”

“Well… possibly,” Baran says, nodding his head back and forth thoughtfully. “However, there’s one thing I’ve learned on this ship, and that’s to be cautious.”

 _Shit_.

“To never blindly embrace what might appear to be good fortune,” Baran continues. “And right now, you’re a rather large stroke of good luck.”

“I haven’t exactly sworn my undying allegiance to you either, Baran,” Jim explains, returning to his seat. “For instance, I’d like to know about this job.”

“Such as?”

“Such as what you meant by ‘very profitable mission’.”

Baran smiles. “It’s enough to know that your share would ensure you a very wealthy and long life far from the Federation.”

“Sounds promising,” Jim copies Baran’s smile again. It seems to be the safest way of doing things.

“It is,” Baran assures him. “Only you’re going to have to earn it. And you can start by putting aside your dislike for Galen and becoming his friend.”

“Why?” Jim asks. The confusion in his voice is legitimate.

“Galen has allies on this ship. That could cause trouble if I decide to kill him. I want you to find out from him who they are.”

Jim nods and stands again. “Okay.”

“One more thing, Kirk.” Baran stands as well, taking the couple steps to stand in front of Jim. “When the time comes… I want you to be the one to kill Galen.”

Jim doesn’t respond, unable to as his heart leaps into his throat. Instead, he simply leaves Baran’s quarters with a quick nod.

 

* * *

 

“I have completed my analysis of the second signal from the mercenary ship,” Spock explains. Uhura and Sulu are both watching the screen over his shoulder. “I believe these groupings,” he gestures to numbers across the screen, “represent bearings and coordinates from their navigational system.”

“So you think Jim got us their flight plan?” Sulu asks.

“I do. If I am correct, the mercenary ship is headed toward these coordinates,” Spock says, pointing to the screen again.

“Their maximum speed is warp five, it’s gonna take them at least eleven hours to get there,” Sulu explains. “At _our_ maximum warp we could be there in six.”

Spock nods in approval.

 

* * *

 

Chris is sitting at the table in his quarters looking at a PADD when his door slides open behind him. Chris instantly grabs the phaser he has laid on the table and spins around to the door. Jim is standing there, hands raised slightly.

“Just me,” he says.

Chris sighs in relief, shoulders sagging. He lowers the phaser.

“Nice to see you too,” Jim teases half-heartedly, coming in and sitting at the other end of the table. Chris turns back toward the table and lays his phaser back on it.

“I’ve had some… unpleasant surprises,” Chris explains. “This isn’t a good idea, Jim. Baran might start getting suspicious.”

“Baran’s the one that sent me here,” Jim tells him. “He wants me to _pretend_ to be friendly with you and help you organize a mutiny so he can determine who on the crew supports you. And then eliminate them, of course.”

Chris sighs heavily, leaning back into his chair. “We’ve really gotten into it this time, haven’t we? I’m having trouble remembering whose side I’m on.” He shakes his head, dismissing that topic. “What have you been able to find out?”

“When we reach the Hyrlan sector, we’re supposed to rendezvous with an Orion transport ship. I’m not positive, but I think they may be delivering another Romulan artifact to us.”

“A second artifact?” Chris asks, raising an eyebrow. Jim nods. “By the way, that first artifact wasn’t Romulan- it’s Vulcan.” Jim’s brow furrows. He’s obviously confused.

“Vulcan? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ve been looking at the glyphs and pictograms from the artifact on Calder II. I don’t have a lot of data, but it matches more closely with early Vulcan than Romulan.” Chris slides the PADD he’s been looking at across the table to Jim, hoping Jim will see what he means with the data on the PADD.

Jim examines the PADD a moment before speaking. “Do these artifacts have some kind of religious value or something? Something that would make them valuable enough to kill for?”

Chris shakes his head. “No idea, I’ve been wondering the same thing.” He sighs and rubs his face with his hands. “I wish I had access to the _Enterprise_ computer, just for a _minute_. That would make all of this a hell of a lot easier.” He sighs again, straightening back up. “What will Baran do once he’s gotten his hands on the second artifact?”

Jim sighs as well, leaning back in his seat. “You’re supposed to verify its authenticity. Then I kill you and take your place.” He gives a little smirk at the end. Chris chuckles despite himself.

“I always knew you were after my job, Jim, but that seems a little extreme.” Jim smiles, though Chris can tell the whole situation is starting to make him nervous. He figures such is pretty warranted at this point. “Well, anyway, as soon as Baran feels I’ve outlived my usefulness to him, he can just kill me with the servo. So, I think it’s time we start planning a mutiny.”

 

* * *

 

“We need a new captain,” Chris says to Narik as he’s watching him repair something in the engineering section of the ship. “I’ve come to that inescapable conclusion.”

“I agree,” Narik responds, “but I don’t think that’s you.”

“Oh?” Chris asks, mildly surprised.

“I don’t trust you, Galen, and I don’t think the rest of the crew does either.”

 _Does anyone in this crew trust each other?_ Chris asks silently.

“They’re not gonna follow you,” Narik continues.

“So who will they follow, Narik? You?”

“No. But they’ll follow Tallera, and so will I.”

Narik leaves the room quickly. Chris is about to follow suit when Tallera comes through the doors and intercepts him, the doors shutting behind her.

“Who are you?” she demands.

“What?” Chris asks, heart immediately jumping into his throat.

“You’re no smuggler, and I don’t think your name’s Galen, either.” She pulls a phaser from her side and points it directly at Chris’s chest. It’s not set to stun. “You will tell me who you really are and what you’re doing on this ship or I will kill you right here.”

Chris stares at her a moment, weighing the options in his head. He could think of another lie, she might see through that too. He could tell her the truth, she could tell Baran. Both of those options would end in his death, either from Baran or Tallera herself. She might not even believe the truth. But maybe, if she does, she won’t tell Baran _or_ kill him, knowing Starfleet would never leave them alone if something happened to Chris.  

“What are you talking about?” Chris stalls. _Think, Chris!_

“I will not play games with you. I found the message you sent to the _Enterprise_. When Kirk was using his command codes to drop their shields, you sent them a transmission on the same carrier wave! You’re a Starfleet officer.” Chris opens his mouth to start a probably shitty phoney explanation. “Do not deny it! It is the only logical conclusion.”

And then, to Chris’s utter surprise, she puts her phaser away.

“My name is actually T’Paal, and I am a member of the V’Shar.”

“Vulcan security?” Chris asks hesitantly. It seems too good to be true.

“That is correct.” She pauses, and then begins walking around Chris. “I infiltrated this ship a year ago, posing as a Romulan mercenary. I’m here to investigate a possible threat to Vulcan.”

“What kind of threat?” Chris still isn’t sure what to believe.

“First things first, Galen. Who are you?”

 _Damn it, fine_ . “Captain Christopher Pike of the _Enterprise._ ” Chris is already hoping he won’t regret that sentence.

Tallera- T’Paal-whatever the hell her name is- nods. “Very well. To answer your question, for several years now there has been a small, but growing movement of extreme isolationists on Vulcan. A group that believes contact with alien races has… polluted our culture and is destroying Vulcan purity. This group advocated the total isolation of Vulan from the rest of the galaxy and the eradication of all alien influences from our planet.”

“That sounds like an… illogical philosophy,” Chris says, having no other response. He’s heard nothing of this, but then again, it’s probably not something Vulcan wants to be public knowledge.

“Agreed. But extremists often have a logic all their own.”

“What are these artifacts that we’ve been collecting? I know they’re Vulcan and not Romulan.”

“I’m sure you’re familiar with the ancient history of my people.” Chris is, its required to learn at the academy. “Before we found logic, before we found peace.”

“Your people were like mine were at one point- savage, warlike.”

“There was even a time when we used our telepathic abilities as a weapon. A time when we learned to kill with a thought.”

“The Stone of Gol?” he remembers it, vaguely. Something he had read forever ago about Vulcan mythology.

“You know of it?” Tallera asks, looking a little shocked.

Chris nods. “I know the story from Vulcan mythology.”

“The Stone of Gol is real, but there is nothing supernatural or magical about it. It is a psionic resonator- a device which focuses and amplifies telepathic energy. It is one of the most devastating weapons ever conceived.”

“But according to legend the stone was destroyed by the gods when the Vulcan people found peace,” Chris argues. There’s no way this thing could be real, right?

“The resonator was believed to have been destroyed during the Time of the Awakening. Only one piece is known to have survived, and it was placed in a Vulcan museum under heavy guard. A year ago, that piece was stolen from the museum. Soon after, mercenary ships began raiding archaeological sites across the quadrant. We believe a member of the Isolationist Movement is attempting to reassemble the resonator.”

“A telepathic weapon,” Chris says, more so to himself.

“My orders are to find that assassin and stop them.”

“It seems like Baran has to deliver these artifacts to the assassin to get paid. Therefore… It’s probably best if we both keep our covers going.”

Tallera nods. “Agreed. But, captain, I cannot allow the resonator to be assembled. If necessary, I will destroy this ship, its crew- all of us- to prevent that from happening.”

Chris nods, the constant uneasiness he’s been feeling the past couple weeks rising once more. “I guess we better keep them from assembling it, then.”

 

* * *

 

“There’s a small vessel, sir. Bearing 127, mark 335,” Sulu says.

“Is it the mercenary ship?” Spock asks.

“No, sir,” Chekov answers. “Eet’s Romulan.”

“There’s only one person aboard, sir.” Sulu again.

“Lieutenant Uhura, open a channel,” Spock orders, coming to stand behind Chekov’s and Sulu’s stations.

Moments later, a Romulan man appears on the screen.

“This is Commander Spock of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_.” The Romulan doesn’t respond. “To who am I speaking?”

“I do not wish to disclose that information, _Vulcan_.” The Romulan spits the word Vulcan. Spock seems unbothered.

“May I inquire as to where your destination lies?”

“You may, but I will not answer.”

“May I ask the purpose of your journey?”

“No.”

“Perhaps I have not made our intentions clear. We are investigating-”

The call ends abruptly.   
“I don’t think he wants to tell you much of anything,” Sulu says. Spock gives a small nod.

“He does seem rather uncooperative.”

“Well, he’s a Romulan just inside Federation space. He’s probably a little worried, maybe even a little scared,” Uhura offers from her station.

“Sir, could ve use our tractor beam and bring ze wessel aboard and search it? And question ze Romulan?” Chekov asks. “He _eez_ on our side of the Neutral Zone.”

“Yes, but searching his vessel without probable cause would only inflate tensions between the Federation and the Romulan empire, even if he is in Federation Space.”

The bridge is quiet for a moment before Uhura pipes up from her station again.

“Sir! Doesn’t the Federation claim the right to conduct health and safety inspections on any ship in our space?”

“Health and safety inspections?” Sulu asks, turning in his chair to look at Uhura with one eyebrow raised. She nods.

“I am not sure that using this clause as an excuse to conduct a search of the Romulan vessel would be consistent with the spirit of its inception.”

Uhura’s face falls a little. She nods again. “Yes, sir.”

“However,” Spock starts gain, “if the Romulan wishes to contest our actions, he can file a complaint with his government. Bring the vessel aboard, Mr. Chekov.” Spock turns to walk back to the captain’s chair. “Mr. Chekov, once the vessel is aboard, please begin an inspection with Doctor McCoy and Mr. Scott.”

“Yes, sir,” Chekov nods.

“Mr. Sulu, I would like you and Lieutenant Uhura to take our… guest.. to the observation lounge and keep him there until the search of his vessel is complete.”

“Yes, sir,” Sulu and Uhura say in unison.

 

* * *

 

Standing in the cargo bay waiting for the door of the vessel to open, Sulu looks to Len, standing a few feet behind him at the cargo bay doors.

“How’s Phil?” he asks. Len doesn’t turn to look at him, and instead just sighs and shakes his head.

“Christine is sitting with him ‘til we’re done here,” Len explains as the door starts to open. Sulu nods, and turns his attention back toward the small vessel.

The door opens down into a ramp, and the Romulan steps out already looking pissed.

“I’m Doctor McCoy, this is Lieutenant Commander Scott, and Ensign Chekov,” Len explains, gesturing to either side of himself to Chekov and Scotty. “We’re gonna conduct a health and safety inspection on your vessel. Make sure it’s not carrying any foreign diseases, make sure you don’t have any radiation leaks, anything like that.”

The Romulan stands there, staring at Len.

“You gonna let me in, or are we gonna have to make this difficult?” The Romulan gives a heavy sigh, stepping off to the side to allow Len, Chekov, and Scotty to pass and go inside.

“Well, this’ll be fun,” Sulu mumbles to Uhura before stepping forward to intercept the Romulan.

 

* * *

 

“There’s an incoming message,” Vekor announces to the bridge. She’s sitting at the station between Chris and Jim. Baran comes to stand behind her. “It’s from the Romulan vessel, it was sent fifteen minutes ago. He’s at the rendezvous coordinates, but he’s been detained by the _Enterpris_ e. That’s it, he’s stopped transmitting.”

“The _Enterprise_?” Baran asks, obviously confused.

“Oh, well, how could they have known about the rendezvous point, Lieutenant Commander?” Chris asks, leaning around Vekor to give Jim an accusatory gaze.

“Quiet!” Baran interferes. “All that matters now is that the _Enterprise_ has the second artifact in their possession. We don’t have a choice, we’ll have to board the _Enterprise_ and take the artifact.”

“Do you have any _idea_ how many security officers are on a ship like that?” Chris asks, rubbing his temple while talking to Baran like he’s stupid. Which, well.

“No, I don’t,” Baran tells him. “But he does.” He gestures to Jim.

Jim nods. “Yeah, I could get us onto the _Enterprise_. I can get the artifact back.”

“Oh, yeah, very convenient!” Chris says, giving an epic eye roll. “We beam you back aboard your old ship. We have to take that risk that you won’t change your mind and betray us!”

“I have saved your lives twice already!” Jim argues. “What more do you want from me, Galen?”

“Galen, if you’re so worried about Kirk, you can go with him,” Baran tells Chris.

Chris seems to give it a moment’s thought and then nods. “Agreed.”

Baran nods back. “Draw weapons and equipment for a raiding party of five.” Chris nods, and leaves to go gather the supplies. Jim gets up to follow, but Baran grabs his arm and pulls him back. “If you think of betraying us to your friends on the _Enterprise_ , you might remember that I still have the ability to kill you at the first sign of trouble.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Jim promises.

“I have an additional task for you, one that will prove your loyalty. This raid is an opportunity to get rid of Galen. Once you’ve found the artifact, kill him.”

Jim simply nods and walks away.

 

* * *

 

“The inspection shouldn’t last much longer,” Uhura tells the Romulan man. He stares back at her. “What business are you in?” The Romulan stares at her a moment longer, before turning to stare at Sulu. 

“Um,” Sulu fumbles for a minute. “I can get you something from the replicator, if you’d like.”

The Romulan stays silent and staring.

Uhura and Sulu exchange looks, willing this inspection to go faster.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t find anything,and I’ve scanned three different times. Scotty, Chekov, anything?” Len asks, leaning against the wall of the shuttle.  

Scotty shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“He has to be hiding somezing _somevhere_ ,” Chekov says.

“I suppose I can’t go through his computer,” Scotty says.

“The Romulans would have a damn field day with that, we better not,” Len responds, leaving the shuttle and stepping back into the bay. Chekov and Scotty follow. “We’re on pretty shaky ground as it is.”

All three of them miss the sound of people beaming into the shuttle bay, at least until Scotty takes a stun shot from a phaser and buckles to the floor. Len and Chekov spin around to where the shot came from, only to see..

Jim? And _Captain Pike?!_

Chekov reaches for the phaser on his belt, probably in response to the three other people with Jim and Pike.

“Don’t!” Pike shouts, aiming his phaser at Chekov. Chekov drops his phaser.

“Cover that door and check the shuttle,” Jim commands as the group disperses.

“What the hell are you doing?” Len demands when Jim walks towards he and Chekov.

“I guess you’re a little surprised to see me,” Jim says.

“That’s one way of puttin’ it,” Len says, watching Jim. Everything about him is just a little off. _He’s still undercover_.

“I’ve had a change of profession.”

“It’s not here!” Pike calls, stepping from the shuttle. “You!” he points his phaser at Chekov again. “Where’s the artifact?”

“Vhat artifact?” Chekov asks.

“They wouldn’t be searching the shuttle if they had the artifact,” Jim tells Chris, sounding annoyed. “The Romulan must have it. Where is he?” Jim points his phaser at Len’s stomach.

“In the observation lounge with Sulu and Uhura,” Len answers, standing up a little straighter. Chekov shoots him a _What are you doing?!_ look.

“How far?” an alien standing near the shuttle asks Jim.

“Six decks,” Jim answers.

“Security von’t let you get that far,” Chekov says to Jim.

“They won’t get the chance to stop us. There’s a transporter in that shuttle, we’ll use that.” Jim pauses briefly. “I’m sorry about this,” he says.

 

* * *

 

The awkward, tense silence is still continuing in the observation lounge. “Look, if you could tell us anything about what you’re doing-” Sulu starts, only to be cut off by the whoosh of a transporter.

When he looks across the room, five people are standing there. Three aliens.

And Jim.

And Captain Pike.

“What is this?” the Romulan demands.

“Quiet!” one of the aliens demands. They all have phasers.

Captain Pike crosses the room, paying no mind to Uhura or Sulu himself, even though, yeah, they’re both definitely gaping. Instead, he scans the Romulan with a tricorder.

“Does he have it?” Jim asks.

Sulu’s still trying to piece together what the hell is happening when Pike simply reaches into the Romulan’s jacket and pulls out what appears to be a rock.

“This is it,” Pike confirms. _What the hell do they need a rock for?_

“Are you sure, Galen?” the same alien who had quieted the Romulan asks.

“Positive. The inscription pattern is the same as the first artifact.”

Sulu takes a moment to look at Jim. Jim is too busy watching Pike.

“Lieutenant Commander Kirk, you’re committing assault, theft, piracy, and treason,” Sulu tells him. Of course, it’s not like Jim doesn’t already know that. But Sulu figures Jim is playing along with something, so he might as well, too.

“Really?” Jim asks. “Then I guess adding one more charge wouldn’t hurt.” He raises his phaser and fires at Captain Pike of all people, who quickly dives away, missing the shot from the phaser.

From the ground, Pike rolls to his back, leans up, and shoots Jim directly in the chest.

Jim flies backward and hits the ground with a hard thud. He doesn’t move.

Uhura rushes to him, apparently not giving a damn about all the other phasers in the room. Sulu quickly figures he doesn’t give a shit either, and rushes around the table to join her. She presses two fingers to the side of Jim’s neck.

“Is he dead?” Pike asks, raising his phaser again. Sulu looks up to Pike, and then back to Uhura.

“Yes,” she grits out between her teeth.

Pike nods. “Good.” He sounds unusually cold. He walks back across the room, calmly passing Uhura, Sulu, and Jim to rejoin what remains of the group. “Activate the transporter,” he orders. One of the aliens does so, and then they’re gone.

Sulu scrambles up, intent on getting to the comm panel on the wall to call for medical.

“He’s alright, Hikaru, he’s just stunned,” Uhura assures him.

Sulu gapes at her a moment, and then, sure enough, Jim’s chest rises and falls gently.

 _Pike wouldn’t do that to Jim, you moron_ he chides himself.

“I think I’m right there with him,” Sulu says, a little uneasily, kneeling back down next to Jim, who begins coming around at the end of his sentence. Uhura and Sulu help him sit up, slowly and carefully.

Jim gives a long groan before speaking. “This is going to take a little while to explain,” he says.

“No shit, Jim,” Hikaru says, glancing out of the corner of his eye to Uhura.

 

* * *

 

Chris re-enters the bridge with the remainder of his raiding team just as Baran finishes giving out new coordinates. When he stands and turns around to see Chris, he looks surprised, but quickly pushes it to the side.

“Where is it?” he asks Chris. Chris pulls the artifact from his pocket and tosses it to Baran.

Chris begins walking toward Baran while he’s busy examining the artifact. “I have something else for you, Baran,” Chris continues. When Baran looks to him, Chris punches him square across the face. And he really means this one.

Baran falls backwards, bringing one hand up to his face when he hits the floor.

“Tell him what happened, Narik,” Chris says, watching Baran writhe a little on the floor. He’s rather proud of that punch. Nice and solid.

“Kirk turned on us,” Narik says. He comes to stand next to Chris. “He tried to kill Galen before we beamed back.”

“He might’ve killed all of us! And I believe he was acting under your orders, Baran. _You_ betrayed us.” Chris turns on his heels, turning to look at the rest of the crew currently on the bridge. “This has gone on long enough. I think it’s time that we had a new Commander. Someone who would lead us to those profits that we’ve been promised.” He turns to look at Baran again, who’s standing and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh really?” Baran asks. “And who would that be, Galen? You?” Baran looks to the rest of the crew. “He’s planned this all along, opposing me at every turn. Endangering all of us by refusing to follow orders.”

“To follow _your_ orders,” Chris argues. “The orders of a small man trying to fill a role too big for him! I say it’s time for a change!” Chris turns his back on Baran once more, looking to the rest of the crew. “Who’s with me?”

Narik is the first to step forward, quickly followed by Vekor and Tallera. The rest of the present crew follows.  

Baran smirks and nods.

“It’s over, Baran,” Chris says.

Baran pulls the remote for the servos from his belt. “Not quite,” he says. “As long as I have this, I’m still Captain of this ship.”

“You can’t kill all of us,” Chris tells him. It’s the truth. The ship won’t run otherwise. “You need us to run this ship more than we need you to command it.”

“I don’t have to kill you all,” Baran tells Chris, still with that smug smirk. “Just you, Galen.”

Chris stands a little straighter. Baran presses the button on the remote.

Baran is also the one who ends up making hissing and choking sounds until he lands dead on the floor, his remote clattering down next to him.

Tallera steps around from behind Chris, approaching Baran. “What happened?” she asks.

“I switched the transponder codes,” Chris says, approaching as well to stand next to her. “Given his feelings about me, it seemed a sensible thing to do.”

Tallera nods, bending down and taking the artifact from Baran’s hand. “Baran was nothing.” She stands again, looking to Chris. “We have a mission to complete, and the crew needs a leader.”

Chris nods in agreement. Then, he pulls his phaser from his belt and aims it at Baran’s remote and disintegrates it. “I don’t think there’ll be any more punishment on this ship,” he says, putting his phaser away again. He turns around to face what is now, apparently, _his_ crew. “Get back to your duties, and I’ll see to it that we complete this mission _and_ get our payment.”

“Someone remove _that_ ,” Tallera adds, gesturing to Baran’s body. “Any orders?” she asks Chris.

“Maintain present course and speed for now. I’ll find out where we’re supposed to be and when to deliver our cago.”

“Aye, Captain,” Vekor says over his shoulder.

Okay, yeah, Chris missed that.

 

* * *

 

“Jim, I swear, if you’re _lying_ -” Phil starts again. It’s clear he hasn’t slept much, if at all, since Jim left days ago. Jim’s pretty sure he hasn’t even changed clothes.

“Phil, I’m _not_ , okay? I’m not. Chris is _alive_. Those mercenaries didn’t blast him into oblivion, they transported him onto their ship. He’s been pretending to be one of them so he can figure out what the hell they’re up to,” Jim assures Phil again.

“I saw him too, Phil,” Len says from Jim’s side, where he’s working on getting the servo out of Jim’s neck. “He’s alive. Maybe not in the best situation right now, but he’s alive.”

Phil takes a deep, steadying breath, gripping the end of the biobed next to Jim’s. “You promise me he’s okay?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah, Phil, he’s okay. I promise,” Jim responds gently.

Phil nods, though not releasing his grip on the biobed. “Then let’s get him back.”

 

* * *

 

“Greetings, Commander Spock. How may I be of service?” the Vulcan on the other side of the video comm asks.

“Minister,” Spock nods politely. “I thought it wise to inform you that the mercenary ship that has been raiding planets in the Taugan system is likely on its way to Vulcan.”

“I... do not understand.”

“I am sorry, Minister. I have become aware that one of your operatives has been on a mercenary ship investigating a threat to Vulcan, regarding the possible reassembly of a psionic resonator. I did not wish for you to fire upon your own operative when the ship approaches.”

“Commander, I believe we may have a problem. We have no operative aboard a mercenary ship.”

Spock quickly pieces together what has happened. Jim would not lie to him. Captain Pike would not lie to Jim. That only leaves whoever said they were an operative.

Which also means that Captain Pike could very much be in danger.

“Indeed,” Spock agrees.

 

* * *

 

“According to Baran’s logs, we’re supposed to deliver the pieces to the T’Karath Sanctuary on Vulcan,” Chris tells Tallera, who’s watching over his shoulder.

“I know that place,” Tallera says, nodding. “It was an underground stronghold for one of the factions during the last civil war. It’s been abandoned for centuries.”

Chris nods, before opening his communicator. “Galen to the Bridge. Alter course to Vulcan.”

Vekor’s voice comes back through the comm. “Understood.”

“Oh,” Chris remembers suddenly. “You know this something about this I don’t understand.” He picks up the artifacts, turning them over. He points to two symbols on the back of the larger piece. “If I remember correctly, these are the images of the Vulcan god of war and then the Vulcan god of Death. But it looks like there should be something here, like a third piece,” Chris explains, pointing to the gap between the two points of the artifact. “And, again, if I remember correctly, the god of war and the god of death almost always stand alone on artifacts, definitely never combined with a third image.”

“Fascinating,” Tallera tells him, even though she clearly doesn’t think so. “But I am not an archaeological expert.”

“I’m just curious about the third piece. It might change how we’ve seen parts of Vulcan mythology for centuries.”

“When we arrive at Vulcan, I will take these pieces to a secure holding area before going on to the sanctuary. I prefer to go alone. It will arouse less suspicion on the part of the isolationists.”

“Well,” Chris begins. “There shouldn’t be a problem about us entering orbit. I asked Kirk to contact the Vulcan authorities from the _Enterprise_ , let them know we were coming.”

“Why did you do that?” Tallera asks.

“I didn’t want to risk a misunderstanding,” Chris says, a little confused. “Someone might have mistaken this for an actual raid.”

“It is a wise precaution,” Tallera concedes. But Chris is already suspicious.

“Maybe I should contact the _Enterprise_ and have them meet us at Vulcan, just in case these isolationists try and escape.”

“Your offer is appreciated, but our security forces are more than adequate.”

Chris nods. “Alright. Do you think it’s wise for you to go alone? After all, they’re expecting Baran to show up. Don’t you think if I came with you, it might seem a little more plausible-”

“Captain,” Tallera cuts him off. She is definitely not helping her case. “I do understand your human emotional need to be there at the final moment. But this is a Vulcan matter.”

Chris forces a smile and nods. “Of course.”

Tallera smiles back. “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

“We’ve entered orbit around Vulcan,” Narik informs him later on the bridge.

“Tallera, I’ve decided on a change of plans,” Chris says. He’s been thinking about his next move since Tallera left Baran’s quarters where they had been examining his logs. “Take one of the artifacts with you. Leave the other one here. As soon as we have our payment in full, we’ll complete the delivery.”

“That was not the agreement,” Tallera argues. It’s pretty apparent she’s pissed. Very un-Vulcan of her.

“I know that. But it’s safer for all concerned to leave one artifact behind.”

“They will not pay us until they have _both_ pieces.”

“They’ve been waiting on this a long time. They’re not going to take any risks. Now, take one of the artifacts and beam down.”

Tallera’s face changes and, yep, there it is. The proof Chris has been looking for. “That is all I was waiting for,” she says. She looks to someone at a station. “Go to the navigational computer and check file 137/Omega. You’ll find a message secretly transmitted to the _Enterprise_ containing our entire flight plan.”

There’s a brief pause as a console beeps.

“She’s right,” Vekor confirms, also _definitely_ pissed.

“The message was sent by Galen. He’s a Starfleet officer.”

There’s not much reason for Chris to deny that. “Tallera is right, but what she’s not telling you is that those artifacts she’s holding are part of an incredibly powerful weapon. There’s no reward waiting on the surface. As soon as she has all three artifacts, she’ll leave you behind to be captured by Starfleet.”

“I don’t care what it is you want, Tallera,” Vekor says. “I don’t care if that’s a weapon for your personal use, or if you’re really just making a delivery as planned. All I care about is my money. So, I propose a compromise. Narik and I will go with you to the surface to guarantee we receive our payment.”

“After that, you can go anywhere you want,” Narik adds.

“Agreed,” Tallera says. She nods at Chris “Bring him as well. We’ll use him as a hostage if Starfleet arrives. If not, we’ll kill him on the surface.” Tallera turns and goes to the transporter. Narik shoves Chris forward with his phaser, forcing him to follow.

 

* * *

 

They beam down into what has to be the stronghold Tallera had been talking about. She points to a chest on the other side of the room. “There. Your reward, as promised,” she tells Narik and Vekor, the latter of whom goes scrambling for it. Narik stays with Chris, phaser digging into Chris’s ribs.

“Is it all there?” Narik asks.

“No,” Vekor answers angrily. “It’s less than half of what we were promised.” She stands, pointing her phaser at Tallera. “Where’s the rest of it?”

“That is all I could manage,” Tallera responds. “I suggest you take it and leave.”

Narik leaves Chris’s side, storming toward Tallera. “I did not come this far to be cheated! I want it all! Now!”

Tallera’s hands stop moving from where she’s been assembling the artifacts. “Very well. You’ll get what you deserve.” She holds the now completed weapon out toward Narik.

Some kind of energy gathers around him, and seems to squeeze him before he goes flying backwards with a scream.

Chris is willing to bet he’s dead.

Tallera then does the same to Vekor.

Her phaser falls to the floor. Chris glances at it.

“Go ahead, Captain, pick up the phaser. See what good it will do.”

“You’ll never get away with this,” Chris tells her. He hopes he’s right. “Starfleet will never stand by and watch you tear apart one of the founding worlds of the Federation.”

“How little you understand what you’re facing, Captain. You’re used to fighting enemies like yourself, people on ships with defense shields, energy weapons, warp drives! But this artifact is nothing like that. This is the power of the _mind_. Pick up the phaser, Captain!”

Suddenly, everything makes sense.

The weapon manipulates not the thoughts of the one using it, but the one receiving it’s blast, manipulating their angry or violent thoughts into more powerful ones- thoughts powerful enough to kill.

That’s why Tallera wants him to pick up the phaser.

There’s the sound of a transporter beam behind him.

Chris whips around to where various members of the _Enterprise_ crew are standing, phasers drawn.

“Drop your weapons! Do it!” Chris orders them. Jim drops his immediately, quickly followed by Sulu and two security officers. “Don’t make any aggressive movements. The resonator amplifies violent emotions.” He turns back to Tallera. “That’s why you wanted me to pick up the phaser. That’s how you were able to kill Narik and Vekor. And I can see the third symbol on that artifact. The Vulcan symbol for peace, sitting right between the Vulcan symbols for war and death. Meaning the power of the resonator can be overcome by peace.”

“You are about to see how wrong you are,” Tallera tells him, her teeth gritted. She points the weapon at Jim first.

“Empty your mind of any angry or violent thoughts!” Chris says again.

The energy begins to form around Jim, but instead of killing him, passes right through him.

The same happens with Sulu. Then the two security officers.

She turns to Chris last, clearly beginning to lose what little grip she has on her emotions. Chris simply thinks of the most peaceful thing he can: Phil.

“No!” she shouts.

“Think about it, Tallera. Ten thousand years ago your people were consumed by war and violence. But when peace came to Vulcan, the resonator became useless. _That’s_ why it was dismantled.”

Tallera sinks to her knees, defeated. Chris kneels behind her. “You were right. The resonator can’t be stopped by phasers and shields. But it _can_ be defeated by peace of mind.”

She tries to use the weapon on Chris again. When it doesn’t work that time either, Chris simply pulls it from her hands and stands.

Chris looks to Jim, who gives him a small smile.

“Good to see you, Captain,” Sulu says, a small relieved smile on his face, too.

Chris chuckles a little. “Good to see you too, Mr. Sulu.”

 

* * *

 

Later that night, after things have been sorted with the Vulcan government and Chris’s servo is finally out, he’s walking back to his quarters with Phil, Jim, and Len. Phil, of course, has glued himself to Chris’s side, and will likely not be leaving that spot anytime soon. Chris has a feeling Jim has given himself a similar status, after everything he and Chris just went through. Chris doesn’t mind, though.

“When you weren’t on the ship, we scanned the surface for your neural implant, found you in the caverns,” Jim explains.

“What’s gonna happen to that resonator thing anyway?” Len asks. Chris makes a mental note that he’s the one that had initiated the hand holding going on between he and Jim, despite Len not usually being the type for public displays of affection.

“All three pieces are going to be destroyed,” Chris tells him.

“Kinda sucks we can’t study it. Says a lot about a pretty interesting point in history,” Jim says, leaning into Len a little more.

“Some things are better left in the past,” Phil says, one arm wrapped around Chris’s waist.

Chris yawns and nods. “Jim, have Sulu set a course for the nearest Starbase. I’ll be on the bridge in a few-”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Phil interrupts. “You are not going _anywhere_.”

“You are technically dead,” Len agrees.

“Yeah,” Jim grins. “You can’t give orders around here.”

“Well, Jim, if we follow that same logic, you’re a renegade. Actually, I think you’re facing at least a dozen court-martial offences,” Len says, starting to smirk just a little.

Phil chuckles. “Looks like you aren’t going anywhere either, Jim.”

“No, no he’s not,” Len agrees.

“You _could_ escort him to the brig, Len,” Chris teases.

“Oh, no, sir. I think I have other things in mind. Kickin’ his ass for makin’ me worry, first of all,” Len says, giving Jim a pointed look as they stop outside of Chris and Phil’s quarters. Jim offers a sheepish smile.

Phil tugs lightly on Chris’s arm. “C’mon, you need to get some sleep.”

“Looked in a mirror lately, dearest?” Chris asks.

“Fine. _We_ need sleep,” Phil amends.

Jim smiles. “Goodnight, sir.”

“Night, Jim,” Chris returns, copying the small smile.

They all finish trading goodnights. Phil tugs Chris into their quarters, and then kisses him long and hard. When they finally separate, Phil gives Chris an almost hard look.

“If you ever scare me like that again, I _will_ chuck you out an airlock myself,” Phil tells him. Chris grins.

“Yes, sir, Doctor Boyce.”

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of dialogue in this was borrowed from the TNG episodes, as well as the names of the mercenaries. 
> 
> Phil Boyce acts as CMO, Len as his right-hand man. Spock is still Chris' first officer. 
> 
> So yeah, that's it, guys! Don't forget to leave a comment and some kudos if you liked it!


End file.
